Lantzville's public works department has to pack up and move before the end of the month, with senior staff telling council its current building could be condemned at any time.
Glenn Morphy, Lantzville's director of public works, told council during a meeting on Wednesday, June 11, that the lease on the current public works facility on Metro Road is ending because "the landlord did not want to make changes to the building necessary."
"We are very liable at this point in time," Morphy told council. "I can tell you the building inspector, he's ready at any moment, he wants to put a 'condemned' on our building, he needs us out of there now."
Morphy claimed that not only is the district legally liable in an emergency, but if a disaster happens, public works won't be able to handle the job under current conditions.
"This weighs on me heavily, we are No. 1 in every single category in Lantzville's emergency plan save and except if there was a fire," he said. "Public works is the first point of contact and we cannot address adequately some of our emergency needs if we ever had a real emergency – and that's a concern for staff and myself, of course."
The public works shop houses 13 pieces of equipment, including five pickup trucks, three dumptrucks, a backhoe, a water trailer, a mower and mower-trailer, a hayride trailer and a fire department safety trailer. Other equipment at the location includes plows, weed whackers, generators, water meters, salt, a sign inventory, and more.
Morphy said the main building isn't code-compliant as far as fire suppression and a secondary exit, and also pointed to a lack of office space, parking and storage.
"Public works cannot currently store aggregate sand, drain rock, pipes, fittings – all essential for carrying out water main breaks repairs and maintenance," he said.
By not having on-site materials, Morphy said the district is dependent on private businesses and if something breaks during a holiday when those businesses are closed, public works will be unable to respond immediately.
Additionally, Morphy said the main shop has no heat, there is no changeroom, first-aid room, showers or laundry, and the existing washroom is deficient. Also, cell service is lacking, "so during an emergency, public works staff cannot call out."
Following the public works director's presentation, council made a motion authorizing staff to obtain short-term space for public works operations. During discussions, a few options were considered which include a potential new short-term space lease within or adjacent to Lantzville, a temporary modular facility on the Clark-Medd lands, or interim use of 7099 Lantzville Rd. while a transition to a new short-term space is taking place, likely for three or four months. Staff's intention is to work within the department's pre-existing budget.
Both Coun. Ian Savage and Joan Jones opposed the motion, requesting an amendment specifying that 7099 Lantzville Rd. and another property would be off the table. The amendment failed. Concerns were shared by the two councillors that if public works had to temporarily use 7099 Lantzville Rd., it could delay the district's plans for the space.
"We've been waiting over a year now to get going with our development, which will produce a profit," Savage said. "I don't want to tie that up any longer. It shouldn't even be considered a site as far as I'm concerned."
The property was purchased in 2024 by the district along with 6852 Wiles Rd., the area surrounding Blood's Creek, for about $1.2 million, paid for through B.C.'s Growing Communities Fund. The fund is a provincial grant to "support the delivery of infrastructure projects necessary to enable community growth."
